


hands up, feel okay

by prettybo_y



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, HOH character, Lowercase, M/M, Pining, Post S2, Tags Are Hard, Tik Tok, hard of hearing character, post season two, the mind flayer is still a thing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-30
Updated: 2019-08-30
Packaged: 2020-10-01 00:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,250
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20455886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prettybo_y/pseuds/prettybo_y
Summary: title from “two time” by jack stauber





	hands up, feel okay

**Author's Note:**

> title from “two time” by jack stauber

billy hargrove and steve harrington were on decent terms at best.   
  
almost getting a bat to his family jewels then passing out changes a person’s view on the world and previous behaviors. he didn’t mean to do the shit he did to steve. he blacked out, saw red. he finally got the upper hand, it was just on the wrong person.  
  
whatever. he apologized in a drunken stupor and cried his heart out, telling steve all the beans about everything then promptly regretting it. steve harrington, being the “king” that he is, doesn’t mention it again, thank all that’s holy.  
  
things are back to normal for the most part. billy eyes him in the shower and tells him to plant his feet more (he does), he teases and taunts him and sometimes sits with him at lunch, even though they barely talk. it’s a weird truce.   
  
he heads home and makes a beeline for his room before neil can get angry at him for _something._ finishing his homework, working out, taking a shower, the usual routine. once he’s dry and on his bed again, he stares at the icon and taps it.

anyone who gives him shit can choke. he only really got it because he wanted to see what all the fuss was about and what the fuck max was doing in the kitchen all the time. he loved ruining her shit, messing up whatever face tracking filter she used. he even let her rope him into a few.

anyways, billy’s scrolling through tik tok when he sees a certain head of hair on the for you page.  
  
it’s an older video from what he can tell. his hair’s shorter and his face is busted up and is he sobbing? okay then.   
  
he’s wiping his eyes and it’s _very_ obvious he had been crying before. he’s never seen him cry and it’s unnatural on his face.   
  
“_why you so obsessed with me? i just wanna know!_” mariah sings, and steve dances to the music. words pop up at random points in the video.   
  
‘my ex girlfriend cheated on me and called me and our relationship bullshit! she lied to me when she said she loved me!’   
  
‘my parents haven’t been home in three weeks!’   
  
‘i got beat up by the guy who my ex cheated with!’   
  
the video ends, then loops again. billy paused it and despite the warning sirens in his head, he looks through the comments. pity parties and ‘mood’ and ‘i wouldn’t treat you like that.’   
  
he saw the video it’s based off of. it’s hilarious. yeah, he felt bad, but she wouldn’t have posted it if she wasn’t okay with it. but it’s so much worse having it be someone he _knows._

he double taps and clicks on the photo of steve that’s his profile pic. accidentally follows him because damn his bigger hands and that small icon, but it’s fine, there’s no way steve’ll know it’s him anyways.   
  
he scrolls and watches and likes video after video. some show him how musically talented this thickheaded bastard actually is. he made _songs_ and they’re actually _good._ he can dance, like pirouettes and shit. he plays the bass pretty well too.   
  
he’s actually hilarious. some are just trends he hops on, but his original shit is genuinely good. he can even see the little brats he takes care of featured in some of them. the sky is a deep blue when billy decides he should probably stop.   
  
this was weird. he was planning on teasing him for this shit, but it’s actually endearing how much effort he puts into every video. billy might need to sleep on his next move. he doesn’t have to tell steve he knows, he can just know that he knows _something._

—

billy goes to lunch and sticks closer to steve than usual. keeps his eyes on him between bites of his food. from the way steve squirms and shifts in his seat, it’s working.

“are you trying to undress me with your eyes, hargrove? what do you want?” steve finally groans, mouth full of mashed potatoes and popcorn chicken. it’s disgusting.

“you make music, stevie?” billy asks nonchalantly. he internally preens at the way steve’s eyes widen, his ears tinging with pink. he swears he was put on this earth to make nerds like steve suffer.

“i-i mean, yeah, but it isn’t like, good.”

“well, i’ll be the judge of that. gimme your best song.”

steve sighs, knowing he really can’t get out of this one. he scribbles it down on a napkin and practically shoved it at billy, cleaning up his things. billy stays silent as he looks over the name. _roddy._ the sound of a chair scraping back against the floor catches his attention, and steve’s already leaving.

“thanks for the tunes, stevie wonder!” billy calls out from behind him, laughing at the flipped bird he got in response.

—

“_Rich n—, eight-figure, that's my type/That's my type, n— that's my type_”

steve turns around and he’s using that face tracker filter. it zooms in- his face is fucked. like, seriously fucked. it’s about a week in from healing, he only knows that because that’s what he saw a week after he bashed pretty boy’s face in.

a pit stirs in his stomach. steve was soft and useless and literally forgave him once he apologized (and passed him a blunt he had in his pocket). a sane person wouldn’t do that. he might’ve knocked a couple screws loose when he blacked out at the byers house.

he lets the video loop again so he can actually focus on the text above steve.

‘boys with a tan, a car, and curly hair’

okay, that’s… weird. he never pegged steve to be into that crowd. he’s not going to let the hope that’s starting to bubble up in his chest get any further though.

the caption says part two. there’s a part one? he scrolls down a video or two. it’s the same song, the same movement, but the text above him is different.

‘boys who’d rather fight me than admit they’ve been eyefucking me for a month and a half.’

he winces, putting down his phone and wiping a hand down his face. he doesn’t need to look in a mirror to know his face is beet red from… who knows. frustration or embarrassment, he’s not entirely sure. steve’s right and he fucking _hates_ it.

now he really can’t make fun of him for this. it was like his diary that billy shouldn’t have snooped through. albeit, it was public but after seeing that, he’s not sure he has the right to tease him about it.

billy pinches his nose bridge and sighs, picking up his phone again.

—

today is the second day steve willingly sits near billy during lunch. they’re finally hitting friends territory. maybe.

he looks up from his phone and-

“no way, harrington. that can’t be real!”

“if you laugh for a single second, i’m shoving your binder so far up your ass-“

billy’s already cackling. “have you been listening to that cow song lately?”

“no, but robin has,” he grumbles, shoving his food into his mouth. he’s not gonna admit that the black and white pattern on his eyelids look good on pretty boy, even though it’s ridiculous.

billy finishes up his food so he has an excuse to get up. right before he does though, he mumbles a quick, “looks pretty good on you, harrington.”


End file.
